Genesis Health Clubs buys four Kansas City Gold’s Gyms

Genesis Health Clubs owner Rodney Steven II is continuing his march into Kansas City with four new clubs that he acquired Friday from Gold’s Gym.

“I’ve been wanting to go to the Kansas City market for a long time,” Steven says. “We didn’t go for so long.”

Last year, he purchased Midtown Athletic Club in Overland Park and converted it to a Genesis. Steven also now has two clubs in Lawrence, one in Leavenworth and one that’s almost done in St. Joseph, Mo., along with regional staff in the area.

“It was just a natural fit,” he says of expanding further into Kansas City.

“I’m so excited about the market to be honest with you.”

Steven says he’s already in a lot of great markets, but they’re smaller ones.

“We don’t have the presence we need in Kansas City, so this gives it to us now.”

He says the clubs are at four great sites.

“It’s almost like the four corners of the city.”

That includes one on Northwest Oldham Parkway in Lee’s Summit; one at West 119th Street in Olathe; and two in Kansas City at North Boardwalk Avenue and Ditzler Avenue near Liberty.

Steven says the clubs are strategically located, though he could fill in with more later.

He says Gold’s Gym entered the market a year and a half ago by purchasing other clubs at these locations.

“They’re nice clubs,” Steven says. “We’re going to put our touches to them and make them the Genesis brand.”

He says generally there’s a six-month conversion process depending on how extensive the remodeling is.

Steven already has been in the midst of four construction projects from previous acquisitions.

Last week, there was a grand opening of a Genesis in north Topeka.

Late last year, Steven added a second Lawrence location with the purchase of the Jayhawk Tennis Center.

“We’ve been under construction for six months, and it’s completing in the end of May.”

For more than a year, Steven has been building a new health club in St. Joseph where he purchased the St. Joseph Tennis and Swim Club in late 2013. The health club opens in June.

The multimillion dollar conversion of the former Wood Valley Racquet Club in Topeka is Steven’s largest project in some time. It should be complete in October.

Coming up later this year, Steven will do a full remodel and addition at his Overland Park Genesis.

“It’s a massive construction project,” he says.

Steven will remodel the existing 110,000-square-foot building and add another 14,000 square feet for about a $7 million project.

“It’ll be my largest to date.”

Genesis now has 25 clubs in Kansas and Missouri.

“I’ve never had this much construction going on in my life,” Steven says. “We’re in literally the most exciting time of my career.”